Battle Lines Being Drawn In Renewed Medical Marijuana Fight

The same medical marijuana proponents who failed at the ballot box in 2014 are back. The same opponents are back too.

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The push for medical marijuana in Florida appears to be shaking out much as it did in 2014. Early polling shows strong support for the measure—known as Amendment 2. But opponents argue the provision is a slippery slope to outright legalization. The No On 2 campaign recently released an attack ad on its website.

“If they want to legalize pot they should just say so and let the voters decide,” an unnamed narrator says. “Instead they’re trying to trick everyone again. Looks like Amendment 2 is still a scam to legalize pot.”

Ben Pollara has heard those claims before. He’s running the campaign for United for Care—the organization responsible for getting the proposal on the ballot.

“The No On 2 campaign is back with more spurious claims about the medical marijuana amendment,” he says, “which is not a surprise to us.”

“But fortunately they are not dealing in facts or reality and I think the voters of Florida will see through that,” he goes on.

In the last election Amendment 2 narrowly failed—falling just three points short of the sixty percent mark necessary for passage. Supporters are banking on elevated Democratic turnout thanks to the presidential election.

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